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POLITICO 44

Young’s office late Monday afternoon issued a statement saying the FBI informed his staff that the powder is a mixture of concrete and not hazardous. Calls to the Anchorage Fire Department and the FBI were not immediately returned. The Department of Justice in Washington could not immediately confirm.

The incidents were first reported by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. All three congressional members have offices in Peterson Tower in downtown Anchorage.

Begich spokeswoman Julie Hasquet said a staff member in Fairbanks began to open a box sent by priority and powder spilled out. The staffer was following office procedure by opening the box in a plastic bag, Hasquet said.

“When she took off the tape, some white powder … came out, enough so that it alerted her to call the security offices in the federal building in Fairbanks,” Hasquet said.

The box had an Arizona return address, Hasquet said. The staffer turned over the package to the federal marshal’s office, located nearby in the building.

The woman suffered no apparent injuries but was transported by ambulance for medical evaluation, said Ernie Misewicz, assistant Fairbanks fire chief. The federal building was evacuated.